The six persons who make up the think tank for the Agricultural Policy, announced today the SYRIZA PS.

They are Theofani Georgopoulos, Dimitrios Bilalis, Dr. Spyridona Byzantinopoulos, Dr. Napoleon Cappato, Elena Mageirou and Dr. Panagiotis Sarri.

Detailed biographies:

Theofanis Georgopoulos: He is appointed as a Permanent Lecturer of Applications in a full-time position (D.E.P. Member) at the University of Thessaly, Department of Food and Nutrition Science. It specializes in “Technology and Quality control of grains and bakery products”.

He is a graduate of the Department of Food and Nutrition Science of the Agricultural University of Athens. He holds a Master’s degree (Licentiate) in Food Technology from the Department of Food Technology, Engineering and Nutrition, Lund University, Sweden. Participates in Committees, Registries, Research Programs. He is a member of the Geotechnical Chamber of Greece (GEOTEE) and a member of the American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC). He is also a member of the Panhellenic Union of Food Technologists (PETET).

Dimitrios Bilalis: He holds a PhD from the Agricultural University of Athens.

Professor of Agriculture & Organic Agriculture at the Agricultural University of Athens. Honorary Doctor of USAMV Cluj. He is the Director of the Agriculture Laboratory. He has published more than 135 papers in international journals and a very large number in international conferences. He is a member of the editorial board of international research journals. Scientific Manager and member of research teams in over 70 projects (European, National and Private sector).

He teaches at Universities in Greece and abroad. He has designed Agricultural Policy Measures for our country. He has been the national representative of IFOAM EU. He has been a member of a large number of committees of the Ministry of Agriculture & Education. Rapporteur in the Greek Parliament on issues of Organic Agriculture, GMO, Pharmaceutical Cannabis.

Dr. Spyridon Byzantinopoulos: He is an agronomist, a graduate of the Athens Agricultural University of the Agricultural University of Athens and a PhD holder from the University of Reading, England. He has served in various positions in the agricultural sector of our country (application agronomist, YPAAT executive, researcher at the Benakeio Phytopathological Institute and ELGO-DIMITRA).

He was the General Director of ETH.I.AG.E.. He participated in scientific committees for the formulation of agricultural and research policy for the HYPAAT and the EU. As a coordinator or expert, he participated in EU twinning programs in various countries. He was a member of the FOCUS group of the EU and participated as an expert in various international organizations. He has experience in managing research programs and has published research papers in international and Greek journals.

Dr. Napoleon Kappatos: Agronomist – Environmentalist, holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering. Master’s Degree (M.Sc.) in Public Policy and Administration. Master’s Degree (M.Sc.) in Geochemical Environmental Pollution. Degree in Plant Production Agronomist.

He is an active member of the Geotechnical Chamber of Greece (GEOT.E.E.), the Economic Chamber of Greece (E.E.E.E.), the Hellenic Institute of Internal Auditors (I.E.E.E.), the International Institute of Internal Auditors (IIIA).

He holds a Certificate of Pedagogical and Educational Proficiency from the Higher School of Pedagogical and Technological Education (A.S.PAI.TE.) – General Department of Pedagogical Courses.

He has been an ISO 9001:2000 Quality Assurance Systems Inspector at the European High Technology Center (IRCA). He has broad experience and expertise in environmental engineering, geochemical pollution, and public policy with an emphasis on rural governance and quality assurance. He has contributed to the education and training of public administration officials. It has contributed to the formulation of strategic choices and annual action plans. Over the years his duties included the Monitoring and evaluation of the Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Fisheries Policy. Monitoring the implementation of European policies and investments of the Recovery and Resilience Fund.

Monitoring the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and reforms in the agri-food, energy and environmental sectors.

He has participated in working groups for regional development and technical assistance monitoring in collaboration with the EU SRSS. He was at the Representation of O.P.E.K.E.P.E. in audits and meetings with the European Commission and the European Court of Auditors and Representative of O.P.E.K.E.P.E. at meetings of European Organizations for Payments and Controls of Agricultural Subsidies.

Elena Mageirou: She is an Agronomist – Organic farmer. He studied Agriculture at the Agricultural University of Athens. For 8 years he worked as an executive in a company of French interests. Since 1996, she has been organically farming her estates, operates a small traditional agro-tourist guesthouse, produces certified organic products, olive oil and wine from local varieties. She also prepares studies for European development programs for her fellow citizens, helping in the alternative development of the countryside, as well as in the modernization of the agricultural cooperatives of her country.

Dr. Panagiotis Sarris: He studied Molecular Biomedicine and holds two master’s degrees: in Clinical Chemistry & Microbiology and in Plant Biotechnology. He has completed his PhD in “Microbiology and Microbe-Host Molecular Interactions” from the University of Crete.

He is Professor of Microbiology, Department of Biology. Emeritus Professor at the School of Life Sciences, Great Britain. He was a Collaborating Researcher at the Medical School of the University of Crete, Laboratory of Bacteriology, Parasitology, Zoonoses and Geographical Medicine. He is a member of the Academic Coordination Committee of P.P.D.E. of the Faculty of Positive and Technological Sciences of the University of Crete.

Member of the editorial team in 5 high impact scientific journals and member of the review boards in a large number of scientific publishing houses. He is Scientific manager and manager of 18 national and European research programs, totaling more than 4.2 million euros. He is the Representative of Great Britain and Greece in European consortia (COST etc.) in matters related to his scientific fields. He has published in prestigious international scientific journals such as Science, Cell, Nature, Nature Genetics, PNAS and PLoS, with more than 2950 references to his work. He has been invited as a keynote speaker at more than 30 international and national conferences. An important moment in his career was when his work published in the journal Cell in 2015 was declared one of the most important discoveries in biology worldwide and commemorated in the journal Science.